Sandals Royal Barbados Review (2026): Is It Worth the Price? A Travel Advisor’s Honest Review

I’m gonna start off by saying that Sandals Royal Barbados is the best all-inclusive resort I’ve ever stayed at. And that is saying a LOT because I’ve been to…many of them (too many to count!)

Some highlights of the trip include the grounds which were lush and had beautiful flowers everywhere as well as the staff which were so friendly.

Sandals has two resorts in Barbados–Sandals Royal Barbados & Sandals Barbados. They are located in the same area and you’ll have access to shared amenities between the two which gives access to over 21 restaurants! If you’re trying to decide between the two, don’t stress. We didn’t even know when we were walking back and forth between the two. It really felt like one large resort.

One of the huge perks of staying at Sandals is that tipping is included in the price so we didn’t have to worry about carrying around money!

Curious what other drink, food and excursions we recommend while staying here? Get our FREE “perfect itinerary” here.

Let’s dive into the full resort ratings & reviews.

A reminder that our rating system is 1 – 10:

Food: 7/10

The first night after a FULL day of travel, I looked forward to sitting down for a fantastic meal. The ambiance and service were so wonderful at Neptune but the food was….HORRIBLE. I was hoping that it was a fluke and felt so lucky that it was. The rest of our meals were REALLY good. So good, in fact, that we did have two dinners some nights so that we could try out as many places as possible. My favorite was Italian at Portofinos with Soy coming in second. Did I mention there are over 21 restaurants to choose from? In the morning, we always stopped to try out a new donut from Sweet n’ Salty’s and the late night wings at Merry Monkey’s were incredible.

Rooms: 7/10

Sandal’s resorts offer 3 different room categories:

1. Luxury Level – The most budget-friendly option. These rooms are perfect if you’re mainly looking for a comfortable space to sleep and plan to spend most of your time enjoying the beach, pools, and resort activities.
2. Club Level – A great mid-tier choice that adds extra perks like private check-in, access to a Club Sandals lounge, and a dedicated concierge who can assist with dining reservations, excursions, and more.
3. Butler Level – The most elevated experience. These rooms include personal butler service, offering everything from unpacking your luggage to reserving your poolside cabana or drawing you a sunset bubble bath. It’s truly a luxury, stress-free stay.

Sandals Barbados has all 3 categories to choose from by Sandals Royal does not have the “luxury” level rooms. I ended up booking the South Seas Hideaway Crystal Lagoon Club Level Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub – SSHL and it was really beautiful. My favorite part was the soaking tub on the balcony. It was located further back in the resort near the “quiet” pool but the finishes were beautiful and the bed was comfy.

My only complaint was the a/c would not go below 70 degrees and the humidity in the room was 87% which made everything (including the bedding) feel…wet. It was a little uncomfy but nothing horrible.

Spa: n/a

Sorry guys. I didn’t have the chance to visit the spa this time.

Beach: 5/10

This part makes me so sad because there was an outbreak of Sargasso while we were there. If you’ve been keeping up with the seaweed situation, this is something that varies day to day and even hour by hour so it’s out of everyone’s control. BUT the size of the beach, amount of loungers, sand color and texture, service, etc. pretty much everything about the beach EXCEPT for the water was wonderful.

Sandals is located on the South side of the island which is where the currents come in. Therefore, one day we ended up taking a taxi to Carlisle Bay about 10 minutes away on the West side of the island and spent a day on the crystal-clear water!

Drinks: 5/10

Drinks were average. I tried a variety of drinks but ended up sticking with champagne and margaritas most of the time. The bartenders were happy to create something new for us and those were fun to try!

Service: 9/10

The service was noticeably wonderful at this resort. I normally don’t think about these types of things but after the first hour of being there, it was something that stood out. The employees seemed to go out of their way to be friendly, say “hello” and make sure we were taken care of.

Grounds: 10/10

I have NEVER been to an all inclusive resort with grounds that were this beautiful. Not only was it so well kept, but everywhere you turned it felt like you were in a botanical garden. There were lush bushes with tropical flowers EVERYWHERE. This resort had a LOT of swim up rooms and it was like a lazy river winding throughout the resort with flowers and fountains. It was what I want my heaven to look like. This is going to be hard to beat!

Pools: 10/10

I can’t even count how many pools were here but I had a chance to go in all of them (I think) and they were all great. The pool by my room was a “quiet pool” with an infinity hot tub (not just a jacuzzi, an actual heated tub) overlooking the spa grounds. They have the infinity pool overlooking the ocean that was lively with live DJ’s and music. I already mentioned about the winding pools around the swim up rooms that were like walking in a true paradise. They even had a rooftop infinity pool. Really the pools were above and beyond at this resort!

Want help deciding if this is the right resort for your next trip? Contact me for a personalized recommendation or get started here.